Couple found dead at home in murder/suicide

Two men also gunned down in Maloney

gruesome find: A crime scene officer exits the Ramcharan Drive apartment where the bodies of Shastri Roopnarine and his girlfriend, Amanda Persad, were found yesterday.
—Photo: ANISTO ALVES

Mark Fraser

A SAN Juan couple were found dead in their apartment yesterday, in what police des­cribed as a murder/suicide for which there was no motive.

The incident occurred around 12.30 a.m. in Ramcharan Drive, off Don Miguel Road in San Juan, but the bodies were only found around 3 p.m.

Police said the man, Shastri Roop­­narine, 24, was arrested on Friday night on suspicion he had participated in a robbery.

His girlfriend was Amanda Persad, 22.

Roopnarine was questioned by Barataria police and later re­leased as there was no evidence against him.

Around 12.30 a.m., residents of Ramcharan Drive said they heard what they thought were fireworks.

Around 3 p.m., both Roop­narine and Persad had not been seen and neighbours became suspicious. They called the police and the landlord of the small apartment complex and together, the front door was opened and a gruesome discovery made in the living room of the apartment.

Persad’s body had a number of gunshot wounds while Roop­narine had a single gunshot to the head.

A gun lay next to Roopnarine’s body.

The Sunday Express visited the area and spoke with neighbours who said they did not know the couple very well as they had recent­ly moved in.

Roopnarine’s relatives, as well as Persad’s, were on the scene.

Roopnarine’s sister, who asked not to be identified, said he never gave them any indi­ca­tion he would have done something like this.

“None at all,” she said.

One of Roopnarine’s brothers also explained he was originally from Chaguanas and they had recently moved out.

Persad’s relatives had no com­ment.

A middle-aged relative of Per­­sad said the family was not willing to speak.

Both bodies were removed from the apartment by 7 p.m. and taken to the Port of Spain Mortuary.

A post-mortem is expected to be performed tomorrow at the Fo­rensic Science Centre, St James.

In an unrelated incident, po­lice up to last night were inves­ti­gating a double homicide in the Maloney area.

The victims have been iden­tified only by their first names.

One of the victims was identi­fied as Junior while the other was named Marcus.

Police said around 6 p.m. yesterday, both men were am­bushed and shot in Silver Beak Lane, Maloney.

One of the victims died on the scene while the other was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sci­­ences Complex in Mt Hope where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

As a result the year’s murder toll stood at 13 yesterday while the corresponding murder toll last year at this time was one.